Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adverb & adjective In a moderately slow tempo, usually considered to be slower than allegretto but faster than adagio. Used chiefly as a direction.
  • noun An andante passage or movement.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • In music, moving with a moderate, even, graceful progression.
  • noun A movement or piece composed in andante time: as, the andante in Beethoven's fifth symphony.
  • Special varieties of movement or style are indicated by adding other terms, as: andante con moto, in flowing style, with some quickness; andante ma non troppo, in flowing style, but not too slow; andante cantabile, with the movement of a song; andante maestoso, with a stately movement; andante pastorale, in the easy style of a pastoral melody.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective (Mus.) Moving moderately slow, but distinct and flowing; quicker than larghetto, and slower than allegretto.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun music A tempo mark directing that a passage is to be played in a moderately slow tempo; faster than adagio but slower than allegretto.
  • noun music A passage having this mark.
  • adverb music Played at a moderately slow tempo.
  • adjective music Describing a passage having this mark.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a musical composition or musical passage to be performed moderately slow
  • noun a moderately slow tempo (a walking pace)
  • adverb at a moderately slow tempo
  • adjective (of tempo) moderately slow

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Italian, from present participle of andare, to walk, ultimately perhaps from Latin ambulāre; see ambhi in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Italian

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Examples

  • - Collective Sigh: andante is back and brings us up to date.

    Friday Blogaround 2009

  • - Collective Sigh: andante is pissed at the insurance business.

    Friday Blogaround 2007

  • The andante is a scene of reproach and complaint, but as between immortals.

    Amiel's Journal Henri Fr��d��ric Amiel 1885

  • And I think the only way to write about it well is to establish a tempo comparable to the one most suitable for reading the book -- which is to say "andante," a walking tempo.

    A late start ... Frank Wilson 2006

  • He achieves something extra-special with the middle movement, the andante, a passionate control that doesn't hurry but pushes its way forward.

    Allan M. Jalon: Arts Lust: Jonathan Biss Beats the CRIS Allan M. Jalon 2011

  • That was about five years ago, and I can only guess why that dynamic went AWOL in the andante on Friday.

    Allan M. Jalon: Arts Lust: Jonathan Biss Beats the CRIS Allan M. Jalon 2011

  • The penultimate andante movement is especially memorable for its haunting lineups and groupings, which interconnect and configure the eight women as far more than a sum of their parts.

    Where Dancers and Patrons Meet for a Duet Robert Greskovic 2011

  • Once past intonation problems in the first movement, she settled into a performance of fierce lyricism, shaped the andante with great beauty and attacked the finale with superb wit.

    LSO/Davis/Kotla - review Tim Ashley 2010

  • He achieves something extra-special with the middle movement, the andante, a passionate control that doesn't hurry but pushes its way forward.

    Allan M. Jalon: Arts Lust: Jonathan Biss Beats the CRIS Allan M. Jalon 2011

  • That was about five years ago, and I can only guess why that dynamic went AWOL in the andante on Friday.

    Allan M. Jalon: Arts Lust: Jonathan Biss Beats the CRIS Allan M. Jalon 2011

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